The Real Cost of Cutting Corners - Part 1:
The Shortcut Trap
Written by: Ken Lulow
“It’ll just take a second.”
“We’ve done it this way a hundred times.”
“We don’t need to go through all that—it’s a quick job.”
Sound familiar?
These are the words that echo across the jobsite right before someone skips a step, takes a shortcut, or bends the rules—just a little. At first glance, it feels harmless. Maybe you’re behind schedule. Maybe a supervisor is riding you to get the job done faster. Maybe your crew has done this exact job so many times that the safety steps feel unnecessary.
But here’s the thing: shortcuts are rarely about laziness—they’re usually about pressure, familiarity, or false confidence.
Let’s take a closer look at why we cut corners in the first place.
The Illusion of Time Saved
In the moment, skipping a job briefing or getting to work before confirming a voltage test might feel like a time-saver. And sometimes… you do save a few minutes. That’s where the trap begins.
You take the shortcut once, and nothing bad happens. So you do it again. And again.
Eventually, it becomes habit. The routine becomes your new normal, and you start trusting luck instead of process. That’s when things go sideways.
The Pressure to Perform
Let’s be real: this is a high-stakes industry. There’s pressure coming from every direction - leadership, project deadlines, customers, home, storms on the horizon, outage times ticking. You’re expected to be fast, efficient, and flawless. That kind of pressure can lead even the best of line workers to make bad decisions under the appearance of productivity.
But here's the truth: cutting corners might get you through today’s job faster—but it’s gambling with tomorrow’s safety.
Crew Culture and “The Way, We’ve Always Done It”
Sometimes the pressure isn’t external—it’s cultural. Maybe you work with a foreman who shrugs off safety measures. Or you’re the apprentice watching seasoned workers skip steps and still get praised for speed. Maybe no one ever told you it’s okay to slow down and do it right.
If the team’s unwritten rule is “just get it done,” it takes courage to be the one who stops and says, “Hey, we missed a step.”
But that courage could be the reason someone goes home tonight.
How Good Habits Fade
We don’t wake up one day and decide to ignore safety procedures. It’s gradual.
One skipped rubber glove usage here.
One skipped voltage test there.
One assumption about a de-energized line.
Over time, those skipped steps become routine, and suddenly you’re operating in a dangerous comfort zone. The worst part? You don’t even realize how far you’ve drifted.
Time to Check Yourself
Before you read Part 2 of this series, take a moment to reflect on your own work habits:
Have you cut a corner lately—even a small one?
Are you relying more on memory than procedure?
Is your crew pushing speed over safety?
Would you feel comfortable calling out a missed step?
Having the courage to speak up is first step towards creating a culture that values what’s right
Closing Thought
In this line of work, your actions don’t just affect you. They impact your crew, they impact your children, they impact your family, and they impact the lives of future generations. The next time you’re tempted to take a shortcut, ask yourself:
What’s the real cost of saving a few seconds?
